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Monday, 27 February 2017

453) Butterflies of India (Part II): A set of 48 Post Cards brought out by Karnataka Postal Circle of India Post in 2016:

453)
Butterflies of India (Part II): A set of 48 Post Cards brought out by Karnataka
Postal Circle of India Post in 2016:

The Atlas Moth is a large
Saturniid Moth belonging to the order Lepidoptera to which both butterflies and
moths belong. It is found in the tropical and subtropical highland forests of
South-east Asia, Southern China, India, Malay Archipelago and Indonesia.

Their wingspans are also
among the largest reaching over 25 cm (or 9.8 inches). Females are appreciably
larger and heavier than the males.

In India, Atlas Moths are
cultivated for their silk in a non-commercial capacity, unlike that produced by
the related silkworm moth (Bombyx mori),
Atlas Moth silk is secreted as broken strands. This brown, wool-like silk is thought
to have greater durability and is known as “fagara”.

Yellow
Pansy (Junonia hierta):

This is a species of Nymphalid
butterfly found in the Paleo-tropics. It is usually seen in open scrub and
grassland habitats.

It has been found in
virtually all African countries, as well as, in India and parts of
South-eastern Asia. The habitat is grassland and grassy savanna, it also occurs
in forest margins and transformed grassland. Movement patterns indicate that it
is a full migrant.

Crimson
Rose (Pachliopta hector or Polydorus
hector( (Linnaeus):

This is a large butterfly
belonging to the genus Pachilopta
(roses) of the red-bodied swallow-tails. It is found in India and Sri Lanka and
possibly along the coast of Western Myanmar. In India, it is found in the
Western Ghats, Kerala, Eastern India (West Bengal and Odisha) and Uttar Pradesh.
It is a straggler in the Andaman Islands.

It is at home in
well-wooded areas, as well as, in open gardens. It frequently visits the
Lantana flowers for their nectar. It often roosts at night in large
congregations.

Larvae are invariably found
on Indian Birthwort.

They are unpleasant to
taste and are left alone by birds and other predators. The adult female form romulus of the Common Mormon Papilio polytes mimics the Crimson Rose
for protection from predators.

Malabar
Tree Nymph (Idea malabarica):

This is a large butterfly
found in peninsular India that belongs to the Danaid group of the family Nymphilidae. It is found in forest
clearings and above the forest canopy. The Malabar Tree Nymph has a wing span
of 120 mm to 154 mm.

Within India, this species
is found in South India especially in the Western Ghats. Their flight is slow,
weak and fluttery. They glide a lot giving members of this genus the nickname
of “paperkite”.

Often gliding above the
tree canopy but every now and then moving lower down in forest clearings. They
are unpalatable like other members of the Danainae.

One
Spot Grass Yellow (Eurema andersonii):

This butterfly is also
known as Anderson’s grass yellow. It is a small butterfly of the family
Pieridae, that is, the yellows and whites, which is found in India and other
parts of Asia.

Blue
Tiger (Tirumala limniace or Danaus
leopardus) (Butler):

This butterfly found in
India, belongs to the crows and tigers that is the Danaid group of the
brush-footed butterfly family.

Tigers and crows have the
curious habit of congregating on plants like Crotalaria. They are common
butterflies found throughout India.

On the under-side are seen
basal two-thirds of forewing is dusky black, the apex and hind-wing are
olive-brown, the spots and streaks are like the ones senn on the upper-side.
Antennae, head and thorax are black, the latter two are spotted and streaked
with white. The abdomen is dusky above, ochraceous spotted and white beneath.
The wing span of the Blue Tiger is 98 mm to 106 mm.

Paris
Peacock (Papilio paris) (Linnaeus):

It is a species of
swallowtail butterfly found in the Indian Subcontinent and South-east Asia. It
is seen only in the forests of the Sahyadris above 1,000 feet during the
Southwest monsoon and the Nilgiris in Peninsular India.

With an intervening gap in
distribution, it again appears from Kumaon to Sikkim in the Himalayas between
5,000 and 7,000 feet and in Assam.

It is a sun-loving insect
and confines itself to forest clearings and jungle paths.

The caterpillars feed on
the leaves of plants known as Kattuchampakam
in Malayalam, the plant being distributed both in the Himalayas and Assam, as
well as, in Peninsular India.

Common
Yellow Swallowtail (Papilio machon)
(Linnaeus):

This is a butterfly of the
family Papilionidae. It is the type
species of the genus Papilio and occurs throughout the Palearctic region in
Europe and Asia, across North America and thus is not restricted to the Old
World. It is fairly common in the Western Himalayas up to 16,000 feet in Sikkim
and Assam.

It has a wingspan of 6.5 mm to 7.5 mm.

It keeps to grassy meadows
and frequently settles on flowers. At lower elevations, they are seen from
March to October but at higher elevations their flying season is limited.

Larval food plants belong
to the carrot and fennel group.

Common
Lascar (Pantoporia hordonia):

It is a species of
Nymphalid butterfly found in tropical and sub-tropical Asia. It is distributed
across Continental India from the Himalayas to the Western Ghats, Assam,
Myanmar, extending into the Malayan sub-region.

Kaiser–I–Hind
(Teinopalpus imperialis):

This is a rare species of swallowtail
butterfly found from Nepal and North India to North Vietnam. The common name
literally means “Emperor of India”.

It is a much sought after
butterfly by collectors for its beauty and rarity. The green iridescence of the
wings has been found to be due to three-dimensional photonic structure of the
scales and is the subject of much research. Its expanse is 90 mm to 127 mm. The
distribution of this butterfly is in small pockets in Nepal, Bhutan and along
the Eastern Himalayas in India (west Bengal, Meghalaya, Assam, Sikkim and
Manipur), its flight is fast and strong. It flies at tree-top level until it
chooses to descend if there is strong morning sunlight.

Common
Archduke (Lexias pardalis):

This is a butterfly of the
Nymphalidae family. It has a wingspan
of about 80 mm to 90 mm. this species exhibits a strong sexual dimorphism, with
very different pattern and colour. It inhabits the Indo-Malaya eco-zone. It
prefers paths, clearings and edges of primary forests and is easily sighted in
sunny areas standing on the forest floor.

The
Rustic (Cupha erymanthis):

This is a species of
brush-footed butterfly found in forested areas of tropical South Asia ans
South-east Asia. The males and females are identical.

The upper-side of the
rustic is ochraceous light brown. Its wingspan ranges from 45 mm to 55 mm.
Adult butterflies occasionally visit carrion to drink the body fluids. They
seem to favour carcasses lying in exposed, sunny areas over those which are in
the shade.

Gray
Pansy (Junonia atlites or Precis atlites)
(Johanssen):

This is a species of
Nymphalid butterfly found in South Asia. It frequents Paddy fields during the
monsoon months. It is a denizen of regions with heavy rainfall.

Larval food plant is Talimakhana.

Commander
(Moduza procris):

This is a medium-sized,
strikingly coloured brush-footed butterfly found in South Asia and South-east
Asia.

It is notable for the mode
of concealment employed by its caterpillar and the cryptic camouflage of its
pupa.

The Commander has a
wingspan of about 6 mm to 7.5 mm. The upper-side of its wings is a bright
reddish brown. Towards the centre of the wing are broad white spots.

In flight, one can see a
bright red brown butterfly with a white band forming a “V shape”. The male and
female are similar in appearance.

Indian
Purple Emperor (Mimathyma ambica):

This is a species of
Nymphalid butterfly found in Asia. It is the only species of the genus
Mimathyma. It occurs in North-east India, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam
and Northern Sumatra.

This species inhabits
rainforest and humid deciduous forest at elevations below 1000 metres. Males
visit damp ground to imbibe moisture. They habitually settle on rocks and
boulders, and if disturbed will usually return to the same spot within a few
minutes.

Monkey
Puzzle (Rathinda amor) (Fabricius):

This is a small Lycaenid
or blue butterfly found in South Asia. In India, it is distributed in the
Western Ghats, Ganjam in Odisha to Kolkata and Assam. It is also found in Sri
Lanka. It inhabits forested plains with moderate rainfall.

Its larvae are green in
colour with the upperside of median segments in red, with several fleshy
projections. Its morph thus gives the butterfly its name “Monkey Puzzle”.
Larval food plants are Ixora, Loranthus, Croton and Jamun.

About Me

I am Rajeev Prasad, a retired State Bank of India officer who had been collecting coins in a shoe box without having a serious interest. Only after quitting my job I got the time to take serious interest in developing my coin collection into a hobby. A pity, because I would have had more opportunity to lay my hands on more 'exclusive coins' while in the Bank. Anyway, as they say,better late than never. If you have any views to share with me regarding this blog , please contact me on my email rajeevprasad1208@gmail.com. I also have a twitter account @prasad_rajeev.
I had an opportunity to participate in a Documentary on the life and times of the 25 paise coin titled “Chal Basi Chavanni” (The four anna/twenty five paise coin passes away), aired by STAR NEWS on 29th and 30th June 2011. The programme helped in making many persons hold back onto their “chavannis”, the little round beauties, instead of returning them to Banks .